Dave’s Monday Blast – September 12, 2022
Men of INTENTION are committed to going the distance with God. It is a life – long journey of WALKING with Him. Have you noticed that we often talk about our relationship with Jesus as “a walk”. From the Old Testament’s early pages, where “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden…” (Genesis 3:8). Or in (Genesis 5:24) we read: “Enoch walked with God”. In the New Testament, Paul urges believers to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling” (Ephesians 4:1). Also recall Jesus’ post – resurrection walk along the Road to Emmaus; the metaphor clues us in to the nature of faith in Christ as a lived experience.
In our busy, modern lives, walking is for the most part an activity, whereas in biblical times it was the primary mode of transportation…something people did by default. First century Judea had a pedestrian culture. Even though Judea, modern Israel, is only 150 miles north to south and 50 miles east to west, we know that Jesus would likely have walked 15,000 miles during his short life (we can deduce from the Biblical accounts of his movements) to come up with this number.
Not only did people in the first century traverse a lot of ground, but they also spent a lot of time doing so. In the New Testament, we find people on foot going to shop, work, going to religious gatherings, and gathering supplies. They walked in pairs or groups for safety on their journeys, but they also spent the time in conversation, teaching one another, and even singing. Of course we do the very same things although often in a car. The point being, walking wasn’t just about arriving somewhere, life happened along the way.
Pastor Charles Stanley comments: “It’s the same with our faith experience. Following Jesus is “good for us,” like walking for exercise, but it’s not simply about counting steps and checking off another item on the to-do list. Jesus wants our relationship with Him to be an integral part of our life. He wants us to welcome Him along wherever we’re going.”
It begs the question: Are you walking with God today? Let me be clear, to walk with the Lord means to keep Him at the center in everything we do, say, and think; in our relationships, finances, plans, and every area of our life. It’s the wisest way to walk.
